Evaluation Innovations for Environments of Systemic Social Change

Abstract

Transformed societal relationships in nations emerging from former Soviet influence present unique evaluation challenges. Altered links between governance and instruction create a climate in which the instruments for evaluation must differ not only in their scope but also in their intent. A central question in evaluating educational reform is how classroom, local school and community data can be made accessible to policy-makers who may not have the time, the training or the inclination to search through what has been traditionally regarded as ethnographic data. This article shares frameworks designed to: frame qualitative evaluation data in a manner that addresses both macro perspectives of communities and micro concerns of individuals; illuminate educational obstacles and conflicts surrounding the conditions and consequences of reformed social policies; portray the social, cultural and psychological concerns of participants in their acceptance or rejection of changed policies; and develop clarity in representing the transactional nature of evaluation.